Our Royal Romance
by 0nce Upon My Story
Summary: (Loosely based on the love story of Prince Harry of England and Meghan Markle – because I'm a HUGE royal fan) He was Prince James Arthur William Charlus, the Duke of Pottersmouth. She was Lily Evans, American actress and model. They were set up on a blind date by a mutual friend, and the rest, as they say, is history…
1. Chapter 1 - Setting the Scene

**A/N: I'm currently fangirling madly, because... Harry and Meghan are in South Africa! I am ****_such _****a royal fan - how could I possibly resist writing this? **

**If there's anyone else out there who's slightly obsessed with both Jily and the British royal family - well, without sounding too arrogant, I think this might be just the fic for you! **

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own any Harry Potter characters you might recognize – all rights go to the amazing J.K. Rowling. Obviously, I also don't own Meghan Markle and Prince Harry or their love story – I just choose to use them as my muse. **

**That should be all, then. On to the story!**

* * *

"You want to what?" Lily looked at her friend in disbelief.

"I want to set you up on a date," Mary repeated.

"No _way!" _Lily protested.

"Come on, Lils," Mary cajoled. "You've been single for, what, nearly four months now!"

"Maybe I don't want to be in a relationship."

"Don't be ridiculous, of course you do."

"How do you know that?"

"The fact that you tried again with Christopher says something."

"What does it say?"

"That you're finally getting over Snape." Mary's lip curled with disgust as she spat the name.

Even after three years, the name still caused a stir in Lily's heart. True, she had stopped loving Sev a long time ago – the night he called her a _dirty slag, _in fact – but she still found herself missing him from time to time. They really had been very close.

"Christopher didn't work out," Lily reminded her friend.

"That doesn't mean anything! He wasn't the right guy for you, is all."

"What if I'm just not meant for love?" Lily tried not to sound too depressive, but the truth was, the thought had been nagging at her for months now. It had begun to seem like every single relationship she tried had ended in some form of disaster.

Mary gave her a sharp look. "You don't really believe that."

"Well…"

"Lily!"

"All right, all right, I'll give it a try. Who is this guy, anyway?"

"His name is James," Mary began.

"How do you know him?"

"You remember I told you about my friend Marlene?" At Lily's nod, she continued. "Well, he's her brother-in-law."

Lily bolted upright. "Wait, wait, wait. Didn't Marlene marry Prince Sirius?"

Mary nodded casually.

"That means… Mary, you want to set me up with _Prince James of England?"_

"I don't see what's so shocking about that," Mary said.

"Uh, we're talking about the same guy, right? _Prince _James?"

"Yes, Lily, and you're a gorgeous, confident actress."

"I know that, but a _prince?"_

"He's the kind of guy I think you'll be perfect with," Mary said defensively. "For the record, Marlene thinks so too."

Lily flopped back onto her bed, staring at the ceiling as though it might take her side. "I don't believe you."

"Does that mean you'll go?"

Lily didn't reply, studying the ceiling with renewed interest.

"Come _on, _Lily! It's just one date! How bad could it be?"

Lily decided it would be better not to answer that question.

"I've got a point, Lily, and you know it. If this guy can make you happy, surely it'll be worth it?"

"Is he nice?" Lily asked abruptly.

"Very," Mary assured her. "Funny, too. And handsome."

"He sounds like quite the catch," Lily said drily.

"He _is," _Mary said emphatically. "I know you don't believe me, Lil, but I really think this could be the guy for you."

She looked earnestly at Lily, sincerity in her eyes and voice. Lily sighed and got up, running a hand through her tangled red hair.

"All right, then. When's this thing happening?"

"This Friday," Mary said. "You're meeting at the Everleigh Nightclub in King West street."

"Swanky," Lily said, impressed despite herself.

Mary gave her a look. "Prince, remember?"

"Right, right. How could I forget?" Lily chuckled.

"Make sure you don't," Mary advised. "I think this is going to be one of the best things you ever agreed to."

* * *

"I'm sorry, _what?" _James stared at Mary incredulously.

"I. Want. To. Set. You. Up. On. A. Date," she repeated slowly.

"It's finally happened. You've finally lost your mind," he said, throwing his hands in the air. "I'm not going on a _date, _MacDonald!"

"Why on earth not?" Mary challenged.

"I don't want to," he said defensively.

"You don't even know who I want to set you up with."

"I don't care. I'm not interested."

"You should be! _This _is not healthy." She gestured at his messy suite, frowning disapprovingly at the large number of whisky bottles tucked behind the sofa.

"So you think this mysterious girl can make my life bright and happy again?" James asked sceptically.

"Yes," Mary said simply.

"You mean that?"

"With all my heart."

The sincerity in her voice caught James by surprise. Sitting down, he took a deep breath before saying, "Who is she, then?"

"Her name is Lily Evans," Mary said with a small smile. "She's a good friend of mine."

"Lily Evans," James said, liking the way the name rolled off his tongue. "Sounds familiar. Where could I have heard of her?"

"Well, for starters, I _do _talk about her rather a lot. She's the girl who dated Severus Snape for a while."

"The Communist guy? Ugh, I hated him."

"Me too," Mary said with feeling. "But Lily had known him since they were children, and she insisted he was better than I thought."

"Was he?"

"No," Mary said, with a vicious scowl. "He ripped Lily's heart from her chest and stomped it into tiny little bits."

He heard the unspoken end to her sentence loud and clear – _not unlike you and Patty. _

"And now she needs a knight in shining armour to piece her heart together again," James said, striking a dramatic pose.

Mary smirked. "You've missed your chance, I'm afraid. Immediately after Snape, Lily dated Christopher Kettling."

"The chef?" James asked, dropping onto his stomach.

"Exactly. They broke up about four months ago, but it helped Lily move on."

"Good for her," he commented.

"Yes, but that's not the point. She's still not entirely over Snape, however much she might pretend otherwise. They were _engaged, _for God's sake!"

James gaped. "Poor girl," he said with feeling.

"I want her to be happy," Mary said softly. "And I also want _you _to be happy, James."

"So you thought we could make each other happy?"

"I hope so," she said gently. "It'll be good for both of you."

"Okay," James said, surprising himself. "I'll do it."

Mary threw her arms around him. "That's great! I'm so glad."

"Yeah, yeah," he said, patting her shoulder affectionately. "But I need _details, _Mary. Where, when? That kind of thing."

"Right you are," Mary said briskly. "You're leaving Toronto next Monday, and you're busy as hell until then. I managed to find a free spot this Friday, though, so you're going to Everleigh Night Club."

"I look forward to it," James said. "This Lily sounds very interesting."

"Oh, she is," Mary assured him. "And gorgeous."

James grinned. "You know me far too well, Mary."

"That I do – both of you. That's why I _know _you'll end up changing each other's lives for the better."

* * *

"So, I'm going on a date tonight," Lily confessed, clinking her glass against Alice's.

Her friend looked shocked. "Wait, _what?"_

"I said, I'm going on a date tonight. With Prince James of England," Lily said with a small grin.

Alice almost dropped her glass in shock. "I can't believe it!" she said happily, coming around the table to hug Lily.

"I can barely believe it, either," Lily confessed.

"Do you know what you're letting yourself in for?" Alice asked jokingly.

"Well, it's going to be quite an experience, and a fun night, I'm sure," Lily replied.

Alice knocked her wine glass enthusiastically against Lily's. "Well, I'll drink to that!"

* * *

"Oy, Padfoot?"

"Yeah, what is it?" Sirius asked, reluctantly opening his eyes.

James poked his brother in the stomach. "You're going to want to hear this, mate."

"Get on with it, then. I need my beauty sleep."

James rolled his eyes. "You're ridiculous."

"And you're not saying anything interesting," Sirius countered.

"You want interesting? Well, I'm going on a date tonight."

Sirius sat up so fast he banged his head on the arm of the couch. "WHAT?"

"A date," James repeated. "With a girl called Lily Evans."

"The one Mary's always going on about?"

"That's the one."

Sirius settled back down on the couch. "Aren't you the lucky guy."

"I think I am, actually," James said defensively.

"No, I was serious," Sirius said. "It's just that Evans has a bad reputation for leaving her suitors with black eyes."

"That was _once. _And besides, she wouldn't dare hit a prince."

"According to Mary, she just might."

"Then she sounds like the perfect girl for me, don't you think?" James said, half-kidding but half meaning what he said.

"Actually, I think she could be."

* * *

**A/N: unfortunately, this fanfic won't be updated very regularly at all - I'm really busy right now with university and all the other stories I'm also currently working on. However, it's one of the best-planned-out fics I've ever started, so I'm actually really excited about it, and I'll update as often as I can.**

**If you liked this fic, please do let me know - I adore reviews, and they're great for inspiration!**

**Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2 - Blind Date

**A/N: first of all, sincere apologies to the readers of my other stories – yes, I _know _I should be updating those first, but you won't believe what happened to me two days ago. See, Meghan Markle visited the University of Johannesburg, where I'm studying, and I actually saw her! My gosh, it was incredible. I was also lucky enough to get to hear her inspiring speech about women's rights to education first-hand (a cause which I couldn't agree with more) during the visit. **

**Needless to say, this inspired me so much that I wrote this chapter immediately – I would have posted it yesterday, but then my hectic life took over and I wasn't able to do that. However, it's here now, and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it!**

* * *

Lily studied her reflection in the mirror, turning to inspect herself from every angle.

"You look fantastic," Mary said, peeping into the bathroom to smile encouragingly at Lily.

Lily smiled. Her friend was right – she really _did _look fantastic.

She was wearing a skin-tight blue-green dress that flattered her figure in all the right places, and had the added bonus of bringing out the colour of her eyes. A delicate silver necklace glittered against her pale skin, and her legs looked unusually long in her teal-coloured high heels.

"Time to go, Lils," Mary warned, popping her head back into the bathroom and startling Lily out of her reverie.

Lily hastily put the finishing touches onto her makeup – she had gone for a fresh, natural look – and followed her friend to the door of the apartment. Her taxi was already waiting.

"Good luck!" Mary said, giving her a quick hug. "Though in that dress, you hardly need it."

Lily smiled, and gave her friend a wave as she got into the taxi.

Her driver was of the strong, silent type, leaving Lily alone with her thoughts. Normally this would be very much to her liking, but tonight she found herself wishing the man would say something to distract her from her nerves.

Because she was going on a date with the Prince. _The Prince of England. _

Lily knotted her fingers nervously in her lap. She might be a critically acclaimed actress, but he was a _prince, _for crying out loud. What on earth had Mary been thinking, setting them up?

All too soon, the taxi was pulling up in front of the restaurant. Lily got out and hesitated in front of the door, half-tempted to call the taxi back and tell the driver to take her home.

_Pull yourself together, _Lily scolded herself. _You agreed to this thing. You are _going _to go through with it. _

Before she could change her mind, she put her hand to the door and pushed it open.

"Welcome to Everleigh Night Club!" the receptionist said with huge, dazzling smile. "We hope you have a great time tonight."

"Thank you," Lily said, making her way to the bar.

She sat down and started scrolling through the texts Mary had sent her, checking and double-checking the time and place. They stayed the same every time – Everleigh Night Club, eight-thirty. Prince James was late.

_How _un-_princely, _Lily thought, hiding a grin.

Lily was so absorbed in her thoughts that she completely failed to notice Prince James's arrival. He pulled up the chair opposite hers and said, "Lily Evans?"

Lily dropped her phone and looked up, startled. "Oh, hi – er, um, I mean, Your Royal Highness, it's an honour to meet you." Flushing bright red, she stood up and curtsied awkwardly.

Prince James seemed half-embarrassed and half-amused, running a hand through his thick black hair and gesturing for her to sit down. "Oh, er, that's not necessary. Just call me James."

"James," she repeated. "I'm Lily." She blushed again. "Which, of course, you already knew."

James was definitely amused now. "We can shake hands if you want."

"Would that be acceptable?" Lily asked, struggling to regain her dignity. "Don't you royals have a lot of protocols for that kind of thing?"

"Oh, we do," James said, meeting her eyes and nodding gravely. "First, you order a bottle of champagne and christen it with a kiss. Then you can shake my hand, provided that you're wearing a red dress with heels no lower than ten centimetres."

Lily gaped at him for a second or so, then rolled her eyes. "You're kidding."

"No, I'm dead serious," James said solemnly. "Though we can make some exceptions to the protocol if the lady in question is beautiful enough."

He was definitely flirting, Lily decided, but in a teasing sort of way. _I can do that too, _she thought, suppressing a smirk.

"Do I meet the requirements, Your Royal Highness?" Lily enquired, batting her eyelashes and cupping her face in her hands.

James's grin widened. "I wouldn't dare risk a redhead's ire, my lady."

"Is that a _yes?"_

James's hazel eyes sparkled playfully as he nodded, extending his hand. Lily took it and shook firmly, taking the chance to really look him over for the first time.

Mary was right. James was _very _handsome.

His grin lit up his entire face, making his already attractive features even more appealing. Behind his glasses, his hazel eyes were filled with a kindness that struck a chord in Lily's heart. His untidy black hair stuck up in all directions, which she found annoyingly cute.

And he was _fit. _Very much so, in fact.

All in all, he was everything she could have hoped for and more.

She let go of his hand before things got awkward, dropping her eyes and casually pocketing her phone.

_How would you behave if this was a regular date? _she asked herself.

_Well, I would ask him some questions about himself, then figure out if I liked the sound of him enough to let things go further, _her logical side replied.

Clearing her throat, Lily looked up at James again. "So… James. Prince of England. That's quite something, isn't it?"

He shuffled uncomfortably in his seat. "Well, it's just me being born lucky, I guess."

Lily was surprised. She hadn't expected him to be so modest.

"I try not to take advantage of my birth," he explained, obviously having seen the surprise on her face. "It's just a lucky accident, really."

"A _very _lucky accident," she said with a grin.

James returned the smile. "That's definitely true. But enough about me. Tell me something about _you."_

"Well, I'm an actress," she began.

"Really? I _knew _your name sounded familiar."

Lily rolled her eyes. "Nah, that's probably just because Mary never shuts up about me. You probably haven't even seen _Legal – _that's the TV show I'm in."

"Oh…er, yeah, I've never heard about that." He raised a hand to ruffle his hair, looking awkward.

"You should watch it some time," Lily said before she could help herself. "Sorry, shameless self-promoting there."

"I'm guilty of exactly the same thing far too often," James said with an easy smile. "For example, my work with Sentebale. Er – that's the charity I founded with the Prince of Lesotho to help underprivileged children in southern Africa."

"I've heard of that," Lily said, studying James with renewed interest. "You do great work."

"Not me personally," James said, looking faintly embarrassed again. "I'm just the guy with the money to _make _those great things happen."

There was that modesty again – so against everything Lily had expected from a prince. She liked it.

"That's important too," she said. "If it wasn't for all the donations we get, I wouldn't have been able to do what I do for World Vision."

"You work for World Vision?" James was looking at her with the same interest in his eyes that she had felt just a few moments before.

"I do," she said with a grin. "I love charity work. My most recent job was in Rwanda. I was doing a study to see –"

"The importance of clean water," James interrupted. "I saw the article on World Vision's webpage. You're a World Ambassador, aren't you?"

"I'm very proud to say that I am," Lily agreed.

"I was right! No wonder your name sounded so familiar."

"On the subject of familiar names –" Lily began.

"Don't start," James groaned. "I have _four _names, and all of them are about as ridiculously famous as my face."

"I don't know all four of your names," she said, quirking an eyebrow.

"I'm glad," James said, with an honest grin. "They're pretty terrible."

"Now I _have _to know," Lily teased.

James slapped his palm to his face. "Do you _have _to?"

"You can hear mine if I can hear yours," she bargained.

"I don't think that's quite fair," he complained. "Your names are bound to be pretty simple. Mine are as posh as anything."

"I could just Google it," she reasoned.

James's eyes widened. "You wouldn't!"

"Do you want to try me?"

"I heard about the black eye incident from Mary, so I think not," he said with a deep chuckle. "All right, then. James Arthur William Charlus Pottersmouth at your service."

Lily giggled, then tried in vain to suppress it. "Hey!" James protested good-naturedly.

"You win," she said, still laughing behind her hand. "That's pretty bad."

"Told you so," he said triumphantly. "But we had a bargain, remember? Your turn to tell me your name."

"Lily Melissa Evans," she said with her prettiest smile. "Delighted to meet you, Mr James Arthur William Charlus Pottersmouth."

"Oh, you wanna play it like that? All right, then, we'll play it like that." Pulling out his phone, James typed furiously for a few seconds, then broke into a grin.

"I've just found your nickname," he said.

Lily thought she knew what was coming, and groaned.

"Lily Honeybee Evans!" James exclaimed, looking far too pleased with himself for her taste.

"That is _not _funny," she said, slapping his arm. "For once, I'm not at all happy about being right."

"So you knew that Melissa means 'honeybee?'"

"I did," Lily said, burying her face in her hands. "Worst day of my life, finding that one out."

"I think it's cute," James said, with that crooked smile that (entirely against her will) she found so appealing.

"You're a terrible flirt, you know that?"

"Hey, so are you."

"Looks like we match pretty well, then."

"Looks like we do."

Their eyes met, and the smile they shared started off teasing, but gradually turned serious the longer they stared at each other.

_Mary was dead right, _Lily realised. _This could be just the guy I was waiting for. _

In normal circumstances, this thought would have severely alarmed her.

But tonight she was with James.

Tonight, nothing was too far or too fast – everything was just… right.

* * *

James ran a hand through his hair, taking a deep breath as he gathered his courage. _It's just a date, _he told himself. _Nothing to be worried about. _

He pushed open the door and stepped into the pulsing lights of Everleigh Night Club.

The receptionist behind the counter looked up and smiled, recognizing James. "Your Royal Highness! It's a pleasure to see you, as always. What can we do for you tonight?"

"I'm meeting someone," James told him. "A girl called Lily Evans. You wouldn't happen to know where she is?"

The receptionist girl gave him a half-surprised look. "She wouldn't be that curvy redhead I just let in, would she?"

James grinned. "That's probably her."

"She's at the bar," the receptionist informed him, gesturing with a sweep of her hand.

He saw her immediately – with hair that red, she was not at all difficult to spot. She was reading something on her phone with a tiny smile on her face, her green eyes glazed as though lost in some daydream.

She was, without a doubt, the most beautiful woman James had ever seen.

_Summon that princely charm, my good fellow, _he told himself. _You're going to need it. _

He walked over to the bar and sat down in the seat opposite her. She didn't seem to notice him, though, so he cleared his throat and said, "Lily Evans?"

She looked up, blushing when she noticed him. James couldn't help thinking that she looked even prettier with pink cheeks.

"Oh, hi – er, um, I mean, Your Royal Highness, it's an honour to meet you," she said awkwardly, standing up and curtsying clumsily.

James ran a hand through his hair, hoping to appear casual. "Oh, er, that's not necessary. Just call me James."

"James," she repeated, and he found really liked how his name sounded on her lips. "I'm Lily. Which, of course, you already knew."

She was blushing again. James smiled, trying to put her at her ease. "We can shake hands if you want," he said, half-teasingly and half-seriously.

She raised an eyebrow. "Would that be acceptable? Don't you royals have a lot of protocols for that kind of thing?"

"Oh, we do," James said, unable to resist the temptation of teasing her. "First, you order a bottle of champagne and christen it with a kiss. Then you can shake my hand, provided that you're wearing a red dress with heels no lower than ten centimetres."

Her jaw dropped, and she looked as if she might actually believe him. Then she rolled her eyes. "You're kidding."

"No, I'm dead serious," James said, succeeding in stifling his grin and nodding solemnly at her. "Though we can make some exceptions to the protocol if the lady in question is beautiful enough."

He couldn't help himself – flirting came as naturally to him as pranking, and it had been a long time since he had done either of those things.

"Do I meet the requirements, Your Royal Highness?" Lily asked, fluttering her eyelashes and staring angelically up at him with her head cupped in her hands.

"I wouldn't dare risk a redhead's ire, my lady," James said, letting his smile broaden into a natural, teasing one.

"Is that a _yes?" _she wanted to know.

James grinned and held out his hand for her to shake.

Her hand was soft and warm in his, reminding him acutely of how long it had been since he had had a girlfriend.

_Keep those thoughts in line, _he told himself sternly. _This is your first date. And don't forget that black eye story, either. _

Black eye story or no, James couldn't stop himself from giving her an admiring once-over as they shook hands.

She really was stunning, with bright red hair falling in a graceful waves around her well-formed face, a dash of freckles accenting the vivid green of her eyes and curves in all the right places.

He felt a momentary stab of disappointment as she dropped his hand, then told himself once more to get his act together.

_If you like the look of her so much, stop gawping at her like a moony-eyed idiot. That's hardly going to make her like you back. _

Pleased with his reasoning, James answered her questions with all the charm, honesty and modesty he could muster.

He asked polite questions of his own, finding that he liked Lily Evans more and more with every cheerful answer she gave.

Genuine interest sparked when she mentioned her charity work with World Vision – now _that _was a cause they could agree on.

As an added bonus, he now knew why her name had seemed so familiar. He said so, causing Lily to smile happily up at him.

"On the subject of familiar names," she began.

James interrupted before she could get too far. "Don't start. I have four names, and all of them are about as ridiculously famous as my face."

"I don't know all four of your names," she said, raising an eyebrow challengingly. He worried for a moment he had offended her by suggesting that she should.

"I'm glad," he said with a disarming smile. "They're pretty terrible."

She smiled mischievously. "Oh, now I _have _to know."

James was relieved. He silently thanked his lucky stars that he _hadn't _accidentally offended her.

But the thought of her knowing his full name – which really was pretty ridiculous – didn't bear thinking about. So he slapped his forehead and groaned, "Do you _have _to?"

"You can hear mine if I can hear yours," she offered.

"I don't think that's quite fair. Your names are bound to be pretty simple. Mine are as posh as anything."

"I could just Google it," she suggested with a grin.

James was secretly impressed. She was a clever one. He liked clever ones – they were _so _much better than the all-blonde-no-brain stereotypes Sirius was constantly trying to hook him up with.

Widening his eyes comically, he gasped, "You wouldn't!"

"Do you want to try me?"

"I heard about the black eye incident from Mary," he said, and a faint blush appeared on her cheeks. "So I think not. All right, then. James Arthur William Charlus Pottersmouth, at your service."

She giggled, then tried poorly to disguise it as a cough.

"Hey!" he complained, but he was unable to keep the amusement from his voice. How many times had he laughed at his own name, after all?

"You win," she said, hiding the last of her giggling fit behind her hand. "That's pretty terrible."

"Told you so! But we had a bargain, remember? Your turn to tell me your name."

"Lily Melissa Evans," she said, with a smile so beautiful that it completely knocked him off balance. "Delighted to meet you, Mr James Arthur William Charlus."

There was that playful sense of humour again. Really, did she want to drive him completely mad? Every criterion he could think of, she passed without so much as a flutter of her eyelashes.

He quickly Googled the name Melissa, hoping fervently that it might have some embarrassing meaning.

He nearly laughed aloud at what he saw.

_The female given name "Melissa" means "bee" in Greek. This was the name of a nymph that cared for young Zeus in Greek mythology. It is also the name of…_

"Lily Honeybee Evans!" he said, genuinely delighted to have found such a perfect nickname. Not only did it perfectly describe her sweet personality, it also gently teased her auburn hair.

"That is _not _funny," Lily said severely (but it definitely was.) "For once, I'm not at all pleased with being right."

"So you knew that Melissa means 'honeybee?'"

She buried her face in her hands, but he could see that her cheeks were flaming through the gaps in her fingers. "I did. Worst day of my life, finding that one out."

"I think it's cute," James blurted before he could stop himself. Mentally he kicked himself – _you big-mouthed idiot, you've ruined everything!_

But Lily didn't seem to mind too much. "You're a terrible flirt, you know," she said, looking up to shoot him a half-smile, half-scowl.

He thought that was taking it a bit far. "Hey, so are you."

"Looks like we match pretty well, then," she said easily.

James froze. _She did not just say that._

But she had!

"Looks like we do," he said hoarsely.

Their eyes met, and just like that he knew he had found her. After years and years of fruitless searching, he had found _the one. _

A flicker of – well, of _something – _passed between them as they shared a smile. What it was, James couldn't say.

But it was definitely there.

He knew Lily had felt it too by the way her cheeks flushed just a little. They broke eye contact at exactly the same time, both feeling suddenly shy and clumsy.

They sipped their drinks in silence for a few moments, until the awkwardness of it all became too much for James.

"Lily?" he said softly, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder.

She shivered – actually _shivered – _at his touch. "Yes, James?"

"We should do this again."

Their eyes met again, and the same unnamed something made itself known again.

"When are you open?" she asked.

James groaned as he remembered. "I'm flying back to the UK on Monday."

"And I'm going camping with my parents this weekend," she said, echoing his dismayed groan.

"Diaries out," he said, pulling up the calendar app on his phone.

She gave him a strange look, and he quirked an eyebrow. "We don't really say that in the States," she said by way of explanation.

_"Calendars _out, then," he amended.

She grinned. "You're a clever boy, Prince James."

"Why thank you, Miss Honeybee."

"Don't you dare call me that," she said, but the threat was a half-hearted one going by the laughter shaking her frame.

"As you wish, _Madam _Honeybee," he said teasingly.

"Oh, God, no," she groaned, practically collapsing with laughter.

"Which is it to be, then? Miss or Madam?"

"Definitely _miss," _she said. Her eyes lit up playfully. "Mr Pottersmouth."

"Touché," he said, returning her grin.

"Shall we swap numbers?" she asked, still smiling.

"We shall," he said formally, tossing her his phone. "The password is _Algernon."_

She froze, the smile still playing on her lips. "Algernon? Is there something you're not telling me?"

"Er… it's my cat's name," he confessed.

Lily broke out into peals of laughter. "Oh…my…_god," _she said between chuckles. "That's the best thing I've heard all night. Prince James of England has a cat called _Algernon."_

"Do you have any pets?" he challenged.

She smiled affectionately. "Two dogs – Guy and Bogart."

"I'm sorry, _what? _Did you just say _Bogart?"_

"Hey, you called your cat Algernon," she laughed, holding up her hands as though saying _my point is made. _

Unfortunately, it was.

Sirius's favourite things to do (right after snogging Marlene and pulling silly pranks on the staff) was teasing James about Algernon.

"Just put your number in the phone," he said.

She did so, still laughing silently.

James returned the favour, putting himself in her contacts as _Prince Algernon _with a series of laughing emojis.

He took the opportunity to scroll through her phone calendar, noticing that almost every day was labelled _Filming _Legal_ – Toronto Studio._

Then he saw something that made his heart skip a beat.

Right there, on July 10th, was written _UK: World Vision promo. _

"You're in London on the tenth of July," he said, holding out the phone for Lily to see.

She gasped. "I forgot about that!"

"Can we meet up?" he asked impulsively.

"There's nothing I'd like more," she said happily.

They passed the rest of the night with playful banter and a healthy dose of laughter (Lily was full of hilarious stories about filming a TV show, and James had his fair share of palace anecdotes.)

He wished the night would never end, but inevitably it did. He walked Lily out of the nightclub, tugging on her hand as she stepped towards the taxi.

She laughed, tilting her face up to his, and he was overwhelmed yet again by how beautiful she was.

Oh, how he wanted to kiss her.

But he held himself back, instead pulling her close for an affectionate hug. "You better not forget our date," he whispered into her citrusy-scented hair.

"Just you try to keep me away," she returned playfully, holding him for a few seconds and then stepping back reluctantly.

"Until July tenth, Miss Honeybee," he said, waving as she got into the taxi.

"Until July tenth, Prince Algernon," she agreed with a radiant smile.

He watched her go, grinning like the lovesick idiot he was even when her taxi had long since vanished into the night.

* * *

**A/N: this chapter is dedicated to Meghan Markle – you are an amazing woman, and I couldn't support you more in the work you do. **


	3. Chapter 3 - Aftermath

**A/N: I am absolutely BLOWN AWAY by the amount of positive attention this story has been receiving! Guys, I cannot thank you enough for all the lovely reviews, follows and favourites – it means so, so much to me. In fact, it was all that positive feedback that inspired this chapter, so it's with a huge grin on my face that I'm dedicating this to all of you.**

**Thanks again for reading, and I hope you enjoy Chapter Three!**

* * *

Lily unlocked her apartment and dropped her keys in the fruit bowl, closing the door behind her again and leaning against it. She had no doubt that she was wearing a ridiculously love-sick grin, but she couldn't find it in herself to care.

Two sets of _awww_'s startled her from her mushy thoughts, and she looked up sharply. Alice and Mary were seated on her couch, both looking at her with identical eager expressions.

"You guys waited up for me?" she asked, grinning anew.

"How was it?" they chorused.

Lily collapsed on the couch and stared up at the ceiling, smiling like an idiot. She was just so… _happy_.

"That good, huh?" Alice asked, amused.

Mary was ecstatic. "I knew it! I _knew _it!"

Lily laughed. "OK, OK, you were completely right."

Mary squealed and hugged her.

When they had calmed down somewhat, ever-practical Alice asked, "How good was it, exactly?"

Lily found herself smiling stupidly _yet again. _"Amazing," she breathed.

"We need details," Mary demanded.

Lily grinned. "I think I'll keep those to myself, thanks."

"Hey!" her friend protested. "You wouldn't even have gone on that date if it wasn't for me."

"You're right," Lily said, relenting far more quickly than she normally would have – her mood was far too happy for an argument.

"So… the date. Well… where to start…"

"Start with James," Alice suggested. "What was _he _like?"

Lily considered. "Genuinely nice," she said at last, laughing a little as she recalled his effortless charm.

"Extremely handsome and a bit of a flirt," she continued. "Funny. He likes pulling pranks, and he's got the most hilarious way of telling you all about them."

She was smiling again, and she didn't miss Mary nudging Alice with a gleeful expression on her face. She chose to ignore it, though, and went on with her enthusiastic description of James.

"He can be ridiculously charming when he wants to be. He seems distant – very politely so – at first, but the more you talk to him the more _real _he becomes. Down-to-earth, you know? And modest. Surprisingly so. Not at all boastful about his wealth."

Mary cleared her throat to interrupt Lily's rambling. Both she and Alice turned to look enquiringly at her.

"I feel I should tell you that James wasn't always the gentleman you met tonight," she said.

Lily snorted. "I know about his past, Mary. He was very frank about it. I told him in no uncertain terms that he sounded like an arrogant toerag."

Mary spluttered a laugh. "And what did he say to that?"

"Well, first he looked stunned," Lily said, chuckling at the memory. "But then he agreed. He assured me that he's changed now, though, and I can see that he really has."

"Oh. Well, in that case, don't let me interrupt."

Lily rolled her eyes, but picked up where she had left off with no decrease of enthusiasm. "He's passionate about his charity work – it's quite inspiring, actually."

"I bet you guys connected over that," Alice interrupted.

"We did," she said, saluting Alice. "Shrewdly deduced."

"It wasn't that hard," her friend said wryly. "I _know _you, after all."

"So do I," Mary said, wearing an undeniably smug expression. "So, share with me the results of my genius. How was the actual date?"

"You're so dramatic," Lily complained good-naturedly.

"Actress," Mary reminded.

Lily raised her hands, laughing. "You win. So, the date. Well…"

"Lost for words, are you?" Alice teased.

"Actually, yes," Lily admitted. "It was nothing like any other dates I've been on. Everything just felt so… _right."_

"This is definitely the happiest I've ever seen you after a date," Mary said, studying Lily closely.

"I think this _is _the happiest I've ever been after a date," she confessed. "It was just so… I don't know how to describe it without sounding like a soppy romance novel. Saying it was _perfect _sounds unbearably cliché, but that's really how it felt."

"So will you be seeing him again?" Alice asked, a small smile playing on her lips.

"Well, it looks like it," Lily said happily.

Mary squealed. "Lils, I can't believe I forgot – you're going to the UK for the World Vision promotion next week!"

"I know!" Lily said with genuine delight. "James and I have arranged a date for that Friday night."

"LILY!"

She shrieked with laughter as her friends leapt on top of her, burying her in an ecstatic group hug.

"I'm so happy for you, Lils," Alice said, finally rolling off Lily and reluctantly getting her coat off its hook. "But it's getting really late, and I'd better be off."

"Don't want Frank getting worried," Lily teased, hugging her fondly. "Invite me to your wedding, would you?"

Alice rolled her eyes, but she was definitely blushing. "You're ridiculous. We only started dating a year ago."

"And?" Mary wanted to know.

Alice groaned. "You can't get married after just a year of dating!"

"Oh yes you can," Lily corrected. "Benjy and Florence did."

"But Frank and I are…"

"Old-fashioned?" Mary suggested with a giggle. Alice slapped her arm.

"Be off with you," Lily said with a good-natured laugh. _"Both _of you," she added with a significant look at Mary. "I've got to be up fairly early for that fundraiser thing I've got tomorrow."

Mary kicked up a huge fuss, but Lily could tell she was pretending and shooed her out without much sympathy. She really _did _have a fundraiser early the next day.

And she also wanted to go over her date in the peace of her own thoughts for a while. It had been fun and all to have her friends over, but there were some things that were best thought about alone.

She wriggled into a set of pyjamas and curled up in her bed, absent-mindedly stroking Bogart and Guy.

_I've never had a date quite like this one. It was so… natural, so _right, _once we got over the awkwardness of him being a prince. _

"James" and "prince" hardly seemed to fit into the same sentence, anyway – the man she had met (and – dare she say it – fallen for) was the exact opposite of what she had expected a prince to be like.

She found herself smiling again. _How does he make me so happy? _

_Does it matter? _her romantic side, for once, overruled her inherent scepticism. _Just enjoy it while it lasts._

Lily promised herself that she would do exactly that.

* * *

James was still grinning like an idiot when he got back to the Four Seasons Toronto hotel where he and Sirius had been staying for the past week.

As though thinking of him had summoned him, Sirius was sprawled on the couch Skyping Marlene.

"Aha, here he is!" he announced, with far too much relish.

"So how was it?" Marlene demanded.

"Hello to you too, Marls," he greeted with a chuckle.

Marlene ignored him. "Is he wearing a love-sick grin? Please tell me he's wearing a love-sick grin."

Sirius turned his tablet towards James. "See for yourself."

"He _is!" _Marlene squealed.

"No doubt exists," Sirius agreed.

"I don't think _I _grinned this much after our first date," Marlene said. "That must mean it was pretty damn excellent. Am I right, James?"

He was far too euphoric to be annoyed by his sister-in-law's teasing. Instead, he collapsed on the couch next to Sirius, tugging the tablet from his hands so he could see Marlene properly.

"It was… fantastic," he confessed.

Marlene beamed. "I'm so happy for you, James!"

"Did you kiss?" Sirius asked with patronising interest.

"Yes, we need _details, _James," Marlene added gleefully.

James resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "No, Padfoot, we did not kiss. It was our first date!"

"So?" Sirius asked, showing off the ravishing grin that drove so many girls wild.

"Sirius and I snogged even _before _our first date," Marlene said without a trace of shame.

"Too much information, guys," James said.

Marlene smirked at him. "That's nothing, Potter. We have a _baby."_

"I am going to pretend I did not just hear that," James said, putting his hands over his ears and pulling a disgusted face.

"Speaking of baby, how is Leo?" Sirius asked, his face undergoing a lightning change from scoundrel to loving father.

Marlene gave him a _look. _"Asleep, at last, and no thanks to you."

"You know you love me," Sirius said, all roguish charm again.

"Do I know that?" Marlene wondered, then turned her attention to James. "Don't think you're forgotten, mister. I still want to hear all about your little date."

"It wasn't a _little _date," James protested before he could stop himself.

Sirius arched an eyebrow. "Not little, he says, and yet he confesses that he didn't even share a kiss with the lovely Miss Evans."

"Rubbish," James said defensively. "You don't have to kiss for a date to be a big deal."

"Ah, so _what _makes a date a big deal?" Marlene wanted to know.

"Well –" James began, then trailed off, flummoxed. Sirius smirked.

Irritated, James said the first thing that came to mind, "A date is a big deal if you fall in love, Pads."

Sirius and Marlene exchanged delighted looks. James realised what he had said and groaned aloud. "I didn't mean it like that!"

"Oh yes you did, my dear Prongs," Sirius said with a smug grin.

"You are officialy in love_, _brother dear," Marlene added, smiling with deep satisfaction.

James buried his face in his hands. "Really, you two?"

"Yes, really," Marlene said, her voice taking a turn for the tender. "We care about you, James, and we want you to be happy."

"Not only because of the massive teasing advantages," Sirius said, straight-faced. James threw him with a pillow.

Marlene clicked her tongue. "Ignore him."

"I do," he assured her.

"Hey!" Sirius protested.

"I love you, Sirius, but you can be an insensitive git sometimes," Marlene said matter-of-factly.

"Hey!" Sirius said again.

"Oh, shut it," Marlene sighed, exasperated.

Sirius's scowl changed into a suggestive smirk. "Do I sense a bribe, wife?"

"You do not, husband," she replied without batting an eyelash.

"But it's been two weeks since I've seen you properly!"

"You poor thing."

"James, why did I marry this woman again? She has no heart."

"I'm sorry, _I _have no heart? When last did you look in the mirror?"

"Why, just a few minutes ago! My face is as handsome as ever, I assure you."

"You are the most –"

Sirius and Marlene's bickering faded into familiar background noise as James lapsed into a pleasant look-back of the date.

It had been so… perfect.

_Lily _had been so perfect.

She was everything he ever wanted, and more, so much more. Beautiful, kind, passionate, funny, clever… in short, every positive adjective he could think of.

A soft _aww _from Marlene broke into his daydreaming. He looked down at the tablet, momentarily having forgotten that he wasn't alone.

"You look so _happy, _James," his sister-in-law said, affection shining in her dark eyes.

Sirius, for once, did not make a snide comment, instead asking with surprising earnestness, "Are you seeing her again, Prongs?"

"Yeah," he said, smiling a huge, sappy smile. "Lily's coming to the UK for the World Vision promo on the tenth of July. We arranged a date for that night."

"That's great, James," Marlene said, giving him a supportive smile.

"I'm glad you found someone who makes you this happy," Sirius said with a rare demonstration of brotherly love.

"Thanks, you two," he said, genuinely touched.

Marlene took a screenshot from the Skype feed. "When you two end up married, I am showing this to all the guests," she said delightedly.

"Marly!" James protested, flushing bright red.

"Oh, be off with you, Prongs," Sirius said good-naturedly. "My lovely wife and I need some alone time, and I'm sure you want to go daydream about a certain redhead in a white gown on your own."

James fled, Marlene and Sirius's chuckles following him out of the room.

In the bedroom, he collapsed on his bed, burying his head in the pillow. _Those two are bloody impossible._

But they were right, weren't they?

Lily was exactly the kind of girl he _would _want to marry someday.

In normal circumstances, this thought would have made him fear for his own sanity.

But since it was _Lily, _he merely smiled a stupidly love-sick smile at the ceiling.

_I found her, _he thought, over and over. _At long last. I found her._

He was still smiling when he fell asleep hours later.

* * *

**A/N: this chapter was a bit of a filler, I'm sorry – hopefully you all still enjoyed it? If you did, please do let me know! **

**I'll try my best to have the next chapter (the Jily reunion in London – hooray!) out by next Friday. **

**Cheers!**


	4. Chapter 4 - Texts and Teasing

**A/N: this is a bit of a filler chapter, I'm sorry, but it's just been _so long _since I've updated and I felt like an absolute beast keeping you guys from lovely Jily-land any longer.**

* * *

Lily woke up the next morning to the muffled ping of a message on her phone. Growling out something extremely uncomplimentary, she took a moment to wonder who on earth it could be - all her friends and agents knew by now never to contact her early in the morning unless the house was on fire. Still muttering under her breath, she reached for the device, already drafting out a scathing reply to whatever unfortunate soul had woken her up.

She couldn't help her grin as she saw the name Prince Algernon pop up on the screen.

_Morning, honeybee,_ James had written.

Biting the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing out loud, Lily wrote back severely: _There had better be an excellent explanation for waking me up before seven on a Saturday. I'm not above punching your lights out, prince or no._

James sent her a series of laughing emojis, followed by _You're not a morning person, then?_

_You could say that,_ Lily answered. _I'm waiting for that explanation, Mr Algernon._

She waited, fingers tapping impatiently on her pillow as he typed away.

_So I was thinking about July tenth, and I realised we never specified exactly when or where. I'm not a very patient person, I'm afraid, so I texted you immediately._

When she didn't reply immediately, he added, _And besides, it's not often that I land a date with such a beautiful woman. Please forgive me for waking you up _with a series of puppy-eyes emojis.

Lily rolled her eyes at his ridiculousness, but couldn't hide her wide grin any longer. _Consider yourself forgiven,_ she typed.

James responded with a heart-eyed cat emoji that had her grinning anew.

_As for July tenth,_ she wrote, _I'm staying at the Soho House hotel. The club there is very good - private, too - and I know the bartender, Benjy._

James's surprise was adorable. _Wait, Benjy Fenwick? You know him?_

_Sure,_ she replied. _We met at this haute cuisine course a few years back. He's great._

_I remember him telling me about that thing_, James sent. _He never mentioned you, though._

_That's Benjy for you,_ Lily answered. _Secretive to a fault. I love him anyway_ with a smiley.

_Er, you know he's married, right?_ James's amusement was clear even through the text.

Smirking, Lily replied, _What?! Noooo! He promised I was the only one!_

_Benjy Fenwick, you sly old fox,_ James sent, followed by a smirking emoji and a little fox.

Lily grinned and sent him a line of laughing emojis.

_Back to the subject,_ he wrote. _Soho House sounds like a great idea, except for the tiny little problem that Benjy has it out for me._

_What, why?_ Lily asked.

_I missed his wedding,_ James answered gloomily.

_James!_ she sent with a shocked-face emoji.

_I know,_ he sent, complete with crying-eyes emoji. _But the wedding happened to be on the first Saturday of June, which is when Gran holds her big birthday do each year._

Lily started to type back a snappy retort, then froze as she understood the implication.

Easy as it was to forget, James was a prince. That had to mean Gran was...

_The Queen_, she sent, knowing it was true but unable to actually come to grips with the idea. _You had to go to the Queen's birthday celebration._

_Afraid so,_ he answered. _I'd rather have gone to Fenwick's wedding, honestly. Trooping the Colour gets old pretty quickly._

_Trooping the Colour?_ Lily was confused.

_That's when the family gathers on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to watch a RAF flypast, followed by a carriage ride along the Mall. Don't tell Gran I said this, but it gets a bit boring after you've seen it twenty-one times._

_I'll be sure not to mention it in my daily correspondence with the Queen,_ Lily answered drily.

_You're a treasure,_ James sent with a heart and a wink.

_You're not so bad yourself,_ she replied, and she actually meant it.

_Didn't you say you had a camping trip this weekend_? James asked seemingly out of the blue.

Lily bolted upright. How could she have forgotten? She glanced at the time and cursed softly - seven-thirty. She was meeting her parents in just half an hour, and she hadn't packed a thing, not to mention she was still in her pyjamas and hadn't had her morning coffee yet.

_You wonderful, wonderful man,_ she typed fervently. _You just saved my life._

_Oh dear, that bad?_ he sent back.

_You don't know my sister,_ she answered, precariously balancing her phone on her knee as she wriggled into her favourite green walking top.

_Should I be glad about that?_ he wondered.

Lily paused her frantic search for her hiking boots to reply, _God, yes. I am so dead._

_Why?_ he asked, and she could just picture his amused half-smile.

_I've lost my hiking boots and I'm going to be late,_ she explained, resorting to flinging things out of her cupboard in a desperate bid to find her missing shoes.

_Did you try the bathroom? I have a habit of putting mine there to air out and then forgetting about it,_ James sent, and she froze. Now that he mentioned it...

_You bloody genius, you_, she sent, gratefully throwing the boots into her rucksack.

_My pleasure,_ he sent. _Oh and did you remember to pack a torch? For some reason I always forget about that._

_As a matter of fact I did_, she replied, marvelling to herself. How on earth did he know?

_Got any other brilliant tips?_ she sent, checking over her hastily packed bag - now complete with torch - and frowning slightly.

_None, I'm afraid,_ he replied. _My friend Remus is the one who always organises our camping trips. Now there's a genius for you._

_I'll just have to meet him one of these days,_ Lily typed, pulling the door of her apartment shut behind her and hurrying to her car. Ten to eight. She might just make it.

_Him and Peter,_ James sent. _They're my best mates. But, Lily, have you left yet? I don't want you typing and driving._

Lily had to smile. _Don't worry, Prince Protective, I only type at the red lights._

_Lily! You could get hurt,_ he admonished, and she grinned, pulling out of her garage and typing a reply while she waited for her neighbour's exceedingly slow red car to pass by.

_Do you want me to stop talking to you?_

_Of course not,_ he answered. _But I do want you to be safe._

Touched, Lily texted back, _Thank you, James. I'll text you when I get back from the camping trip, OK?_

His reply - a simple _I look forward to it_ \- had her grinning like an idiot for the rest of the weekend.

* * *

James almost missed the buzzing of his phone over Leo's banging with his blocks. "Bababababa!" the one-year-old babbled excitedly, beaming as he banged the blocks together.

It was adorable, and James took a quick snapshot on his phone before looking who had messaged him - probably Marlene checking up on them, he thought with a small grin.

He was surprised (but definitely in a good way) to see the name _Miss Honeybee _pop up on his screen.

_I survived!_ Lily had sent with a smiley.

_So dramatic,_ he typed, grinning. _But I'm glad to hear it. How was the trip?_

_Other than a nasty attack of the Petunias, wonderful,_ she replied.

_An attack of Petunias? That sounds frankly terrifying,_ he sent, wondering how on earth Lily had managed to get herself attacked by the local flora.

_Oh, she is,_ Lily answered, which had him even more confused until he remembered her mentioning something about a sister called Petunia.

_Petunia is your sister, right?_ he checked.

_Unfortunately,_ she confirmed, then added, clearly amused: _What, did you think I was some madwoman raving about being attacked by flowers?_

James grinned, marvelling at how well she could predict him. _I didn't think you were mad, but I did wonder about the state of the local flora,_ he sent.

_Aren't you hilarious_, she answered. _So, what are you up to?_

_Babysitting my nephew,_ he replied, looking guiltily up from his phone to check on Leo. Fortunately, he hadn't moved an inch since James had started texting Lily - if anything, he looked even happier now that he could bang away at his blocks in peace.

_Sirius and Marlene haven't seen each other for two weeks, so they went off on a date night,_ he explained. _Since I'm the world's best uncle, I agreed to play babysitter while they're out._

_Sirius and Marlene as in Prince Sirius and Duchess Marlene? They go on date nights?_ Lily asked with a shocked-face emoji.

_Frequently,_ James answered, smiling a little despite himself. _You wouldn't think it to look at them - honestly, the way they go on sometimes! - but I've never seen a couple who love each other more than those two._

_You're right,_ Lily sent. _I never would have guessed. And your nephew - Prince Leonard, right? - how is he? Is he a little terror?_

_Occasionally,_ he sent, grinning as he looked at Leo, who was now trying to eat his blocks. _I mean, he's _Sirius's_ son. But we all love him to bits anyway._

_I know what you mean,_ Lily sent. _It's like that with my goddaughter, Liz._

_Liz as in Liz Cresswell? Mary's daughter?_ James asked, not quite believing his eyes. He knew Lily and Mary were friends, but he hadn't realized that Lily was Mary's daughter's godmother.

_That's the one,_ Lily sent, followed by, _Oh my God, I forgot you knew Mary!_

_She's a friend of Marly's_, he explained. _They go way back, apparently._

_Yeah, I know_, Lily sent. _I used to bother her about introducing me all the time, but somehow it never happened._

_I can introduce you, if you like,_ he typed, hesitating for a moment before pressing Send. Would he seem like a... what were her words?... an "arrogant toerag" if he sent that?

Leo made the choice for him, dropping his blocks and beginning to wail at the top of his voice. James jumped, accidentally hitting Send as he did.

_Gosh darn, I'm so sorry,_ he typed quickly, picking Leo up and rocking him to soothe the crying. _I didn't mean to send that - please don't think I'm trying to show off or something equally heinous._

_I cannot believe,_ Lily had sent, and he felt his heart skip a beat, _that you actually just said "gosh darn." Well, typed it, but you know what I mean._

_God, Lily, you just gave me a bloody heart attack,_ he sent, rolling his eyes but unable to suppress his wide smile.

_Language,_ Lily chastised playfully. _You're babysitting, remember?_

James stuck out his tongue (and action that Leo promptly copied, looking thoroughly delighted with himself) before remembering that she couldn't see him. _Goody two-shoes_, he sent instead.

_Troublemaker,_ she countered. _What would Marlene say if I told her you were swearing in front of her baby?_

_Don't you dare!_ he sent, for whatever reason picturing a teenage Lily as a prefect reporting him to detention. The thought made him grin.

_I might just,_ she teased, before relenting, _No, don't worry, you're safe. I don't have Marlene's number anyway._

_Well, technically I'm not allowed to give it to you - safety and whatnot. But for once I'd say the royal rules actually played to my favour! _

_That's a shame,_ Lily sent. _She's an incredible woman - I'd love a chance to chat to her. And no, not just because I could get you into trouble - though that is a very pleasant side effect._

_You wound me_, he sent, grinning hugely nevertheless. _But you're right - Marls is pretty great. I'll see what I can do to get you two in touch. _

Picking up on his mood, Leo broke into a sunny, totally adorable smile. "You know when we're talking about your mama, don't you, little guy?" James asked, tickling him affectionately under the chin.

_Thank you, James,_ Lily sent, and he beamed almost as ecstatically as his nephew, which was a feat in itself.

Lily was typing again, he noticed, and stood there waiting for the message to pop up, baby in one arm, phone in the other and a ridiculous grin on his face.

_So, about July tenth. I arranged a private table for us at Soho House - no easy feat, I must say, because Benjy really has it out for you - under Evans for seven thirty. Does that suit you all right?_

_Perfectly,_ he typed, swiping up his calendar and clearing the dinner meeting he had with one Gilderoy Lockhart. His PA, Madam McGonagall, would probably give him a stern lecture about responsibility (but then again, he got the distinct feeling that she liked Lockhart even less than he did.)

_Fabulous, I can't wait,_ Lily sent.

_Me neither,_ he answered, smile growing even more, if that was possible.

"Just five days till July tenth, Leo!" he said, bouncing his nephew up and down on his hip, much to Leo's evident delight.

"Fvv," Leo sang, grinning proudly up at James. "Fvv."

"That's right," James said, pressing a quick kiss to his soft head. "Five days."

* * *

**A/N: there we are, guys! Like I said before, I'm _so _sorry about the incredibly long wait – I've just been insanely busy these last couple of weeks, and sadly I can't see it getting any better until summer break. (For those of you in the northern hemisphere: yes, I am aware it is November, and no, I have not lost my mind, our seasons are just the other way around.) **

**Anyway, if you liked this chapter, please do leave me a review! There really is nothing quite like them for inspiration – why, this very morning a review from a guest made me finally get my act together to write this chapter. **

**I hope I'll see you guys soon, but realistically, I don't know if that's going to be possible. Rest assured that this story is NOT ABANDONED, no matter how long I might take to get the next update out - but as soon as I get on my summer break, this will be top on my priority list. **


	5. Chapter 5 - July Tenth

**A/N: here we are, guys! The long-awaited July tenth! (Emphasis on _long_ – sorry about that, by the way, guys.) Bit of a shame it's not _actually _July tenth, but that's more than half a year away, and even I'm not mean enough to make you guys wait _that _long. **

**As always, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, and I'd love a review! Thank you so much to everybody who's reviewed this story so far – you guys are amazing, and your kind words make me smile every time I read them. **

**Oh, and before I forget – I used a speech by Meghan Markle from World Vision's YouTube channel in the very beginning of the chapter. Much as I might wish otherwise, I'm not Meghan Markle and therefore I don't own her words. I do support and agree with them, though!**

**Now, with no further ado, I present to you Chapter 5!**

* * *

"Something that seems so simple to us has really changed the community, and these kids' ability to stay in school, to maximise their education, to learn even more, so it's the little things, I think, that have the biggest impact, and this is one of them," Lily concluded with a smile.

The audience cheered her enthusiastically as she stepped off the stage, waving to a few people she recognised in the crowd.

As she was pulled aside by Horace Slughorn – a long-time supporter of World Vision, although she suspected that had more to do with the high-profile connections he gained through it than actual passion for charity – her phone buzzed in her clutch against her hip.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," she said with her sincerest smile at Slughorn. Poor man looked dazzled. "I've got to take this."

She flipped open her clutch and pulled out her phone, smiling when she saw a message from James pop up on the screen. _Your car's ready._

_Perfect timing, I've just finished, _she answered, tucking the phone back into her clutch and walking briskly into the parking lot.

She spotted her car almost immediately – limousines had never been hard to spot, after all. She was proud of herself for only gaping in numb astonishment for a second or so before collecting herself and putting on her red-carpet smile.

The chauffeur got out and opened the door for her, offering his hand to help her into the car. Lily declined politely, and thought she saw a hint of a grin under the man's well-trimmed beard.

"I'm Caradoc," he introduced himself, going back round to the front of the car and smiling at her in the rear-view mirror. "Prince James's personal driver."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Lily said, only a little awkwardly, glad that she at least sounded literate and not like she was about to have a minor panic attack (because let's face it, she was absolutely having a minor panic attack.)

"The pleasure is mine," Caradoc returned easily, adjusting his mirrors before pulling away smoothly.

Lily shifted uncomfortably. She had been in a limousine before, but never for something as simple as a date.

_Date. _Just the thought of it had her simultaneously twisting her hands together nervously and smiling like an idiot.

_Oh, pull yourself together, _she scolded herself. _It's not as if you're going on a date with the Prince… oh wait. _

She smirked to herself at the thought, catching Caradoc's eye in the rear-view mirror. He flashed her a small, approving sort of smile. "It's good to see you're not bedazzled by all the glamour," he said.

"Well, I _am _an actress," she said with a faint smirk, then, at the sight of the kindly twinkle in Caradoc's eye, added, "But I have to say, this is all a bit… much to take in."

"You'll be just fine," Caradoc said, with the kind of smile that had his eyes twinkling like they shared a secret.

Lily liked him immediately. His easy niceness seemed entirely genuine, something that was all too rare but always appreciated.

Most of the ride to the hotel passed in companionable silence, with Lily and Caradoc occasionally exchanging light-hearted comments about the scenery, but for the most part it was just… comfortable. It said something about James that his chosen driver was so easy-going and showed absolutely no signs of discontent.

Caradoc pulled up in front of the grand lobby of the hotel, giving her a last twinkle-eyed smile in the rear-view mirror. "James is a lucky man," he told her. "I think you'll make each other very happy."

Lily returned the smile. "Thank you, Caradoc," she said sincerely, stepping out of the limousine and making her way up the steps of the hotel.

She hesitated for a moment or so in the grand doorway, then took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and walked in.

Her stomach did a strange kind of backwards flip-flop when she spotted James standing on the opposite side of the lobby, nervously scanning the faces of the people making their way into the hotel.

He saw her and broke into a massive smile, and if her stomach had been doing flip-flops before, it was now performing an entire acrobatics routine.

She smiled back, walking across the crowded lobby without really noticing any of the people.

"Hi," she said, smiling up at James and holding out her hand for him to shake.

James moved forward as though he might hug her, then stopped short at the sight of her extended hand. He dropped one arm awkwardly and took a step forward, keeping the other hand out.

But by now Lily had dropped her own hand and moved to hug _him, _and ended up being poked in the stomach by the hand he was offering for her to shake.

"Oof," she huffed, and James looked more embarrassed than ever.

"Oh, um, I'm so sorry, gosh darn, are you all right?" James's cheeks were about as red as hers felt.

"Fine, thanks. Um, hi, I guess." She extended her hand again, then pulled it back, cringing at herself. _Stop being so awkward._

Rather to her relief, somebody gave a loud snort off to the left. She'd recognise that snort anywhere. Benjy.

A hint of mild panic crossed James's face, and he mouthed _if he tries to strangle me with his tea-towel, please conk him out with that flowerpot _at her. At least, that's what she thought he mouthed – it really could have been anything.

She stood a little closer to the flowerpot just to be on the safe side.

James flashed her a grin, his cheeks only slightly pink now, before turning to Benjy. "Fenwick," he said, extending a hand and smiling so confidently that she almost missed the underlying hint of nervousness. It was surprisingly adorable – a prince nervous about meting a bartender (even if it _was _the bartender of a ridiculously posh club like Soho House) was not something you saw every day.

"Your Princely Ponce," Benjy replied tersely, and Lily had to stuff her purse in her mouth to stifle a giggle.

James winced, but his eyes were full of laughter. "It's good to see you, too, Fenwick. And look, I really am sorry about the wedding – if it hadn't been Gran's birthday, I would have been there."

"You're saying the Queen of England is more important than me?" Benjy asked, completely straight-faced.

James looked awfully like he might be hiding a grin. "Well. Maybe just a little…"

Benjy gave his signature snort again, but he was actually pretty amused, Lily could tell. "I can't fathom why I missed you, Pottersmouth."

"Nobody can," James said sagely. "And yet everyone does."

Benjy somehow managed to look supremely unconvinced and highly amused at the same time. "If you say so."

Turning to Lily, he said, "Well, Evans, you've certainly picked quite the character."

"Haven't I just?" she asked with a playful grin at James, which he returned. "But I rather like him nonetheless."

James blushed, and Benjy rolled his eyes. "Soppy, Evans," he mocked.

"You're one to talk, Mr Married Man," Lily returned teasingly to hide her own blush. Why, why, _why _did her tongue have to run away with her like that?

"Yeah, yeah," Benjy said, but there was no denying the obvious softening of his gaze as he thought of Florence.

Lily nudged James gleefully as Benjy lost himself in his daydreams. James winked, flashing her a charming grin, and she nearly melted into a puddle on the spot.

Awkward or no, James was ridiculously handsome.

And she really was ridiculously smitten.

Benjy cleared his throat, and Lily started, blushing. She was pretty sure she saw James do exactly the same thing, and felt slightly better. At least she wasn't the only one who felt like a fifteen-year-old again.

"Shall I show you to your table?" Benjy asked, looking distinctly smug as he surveyed their blushes.

Lily glared at him. _"Thank _you."

He just smirked at her and led them into the club, stopping at a curtained box tucked discreetly into a corner of the club and decorated with miniature palm trees.

"Shall I draw the curtains?" he asked slyly once James and Lily had settled themselves on the comfortable beige recliners.

"No!" Lily groaned, hiding her face in her hands.

"Yes!" James said at the same time, frowning as a pretty blonde waitress fluttered her eyelashes at him.

"Which is it?" Benjy asked, not even bothering to hide his amusement any more.

"Yes," Lily amended with half a glance at James.

"No," he said, before catching her eye and groaning.

Benjy sniggered, and tried poorly to disguise it as a sneeze. "I'll leave them half-drawn, then, how's that?"

At this point, Lily was willing to do pretty much anything to get rid of him and his ever-present smirk. "That's _fabulous," _she said, looking anywhere but at her no-doubt-grinning friend's face.

Benjy gave a mocking little bow and drew the curtains halfway, pulling faces at Lily the whole time.

The moment he walked away, Lily groaned and banged her head against the table.

"Ow," she muttered, sitting up and rubbing her head.

James was clearly trying very hard not to laugh.

"Shut up," she grumbled at him, reaching for her menu.

He held up his hands, his face the picture of innocence, but his eyes, sparkling with laughter, gave him away.

Lily whacked him over the head with her menu.

"Sorry, sorry," James said, hastily stifling another laugh. "Allow me to make it up to you with a glass of chilled rosé."

That got Lily's interest. She had always been partial to a good rosé.

(The fact that he looked ridiculously handsome with his eyes sparkling like that may have done something for his case, too, but that was neither here nor there.)

"That sounds wonderful," she said with a grin.

James flashed her a charming grin – _damn – _before clicking his fingers to call a waiter. "A bottle of chilled rosé, please," he said, and the waiter nodded and hurried off.

Slightly flummoxed as for what to say next, Lily settled for looking up and down her menu and considering the many fancy dishes on offer.

"The challans duck with baked pear looks quite good," she said, looking up with genuine interest.

James met her gaze, looking surprised. "I was thinking the exact same thing! I've never been a fan of –" he paused, squinting short-sightedly at the menu "– onion gratin, or of sea scallops, but a good roasted duck is something else entirely."

"I couldn't agree more," Lily said, grinning. "Sea scallops always make me think of a particularly horrifying blancmange I had when I was little."

Just the thought made her shudder. It really had been _revolting. _

James looked equally disgusted. _"Ugh, _I hate blancmange."

"Two portions of challans duck, then?" Lily asked, waving over a waiter.

"Sounds good to me," James said with a grin, and she placed the order.

But with the food out of the way, that meant she had to find something else for them to talk about. As a naturally chatty person, Lily would normally just have started about her charity work and let it go on from there, but she strongly remembered Petunia scolding her that there were Questions You Had To Ask and Things You Shouldn't Talk About.

She racked her brain – what kind of questions were you supposed to ask on a second date? She was sure Petunia had a list somewhere.

Wasn't there something about successes and failures? It sounded likely, all things considered.

But how on earth did you ask that without sounding like a total idiot? _Hey, James, I was wondering what your biggest failure is _wasn't exactly the kind of thing a prince likes to hear, she was sure.

Giving up, she decided just to go for it. "So, James," she began.

Unfortunately for her, James had come to the same decision at the same time. "Right, Lily –" he said at exactly the same time as she spoke.

"Oh, er, you first," Lily said, blushing furiously and cursing herself for sounding so awkward.

"No, no, you go," James said, waving his hand in a slightly random way.

"It's really not that important," she said. "You go on."

"Oh, no, I insist," he said at identically the same time.

They looked at each other, and groaned.

James looked up and grinned. "Well, this is awkward."

"Isn't it just?" Lily agreed, immensely grateful that he had broken what would have been another, even more awkward, silence. "It's like the moment you go on a second date, your brain freezes," she confessed.

"I know, right?" James agreed, looking ecstatic that someone _got it_. "You _want _it to go well so badly, but your tongue just won't cooperate."

"That's it, exactly!" she cried. "It's bloody stupid, actually," she added in hindsight.

"Right?! I mean, if I really hit it off with the girl, I should at least be able to talk to her without feeling like a tongue-tied twelve-year-old again."

"It's completely ridiculous," Lily declared. "We put the second date on such a huge pedestal, but it's like you said – if it's really _the one, _you should be able to talk about whatever you want, and not about your biggest successes and failures and all that rubbish."

"You're so right! We do make way too big a deal out of the second date. It's not necessary to force out all those details yet, you know? If we really like the person, they'll come out on their own, eventually."

"Exactly!" she said, so loudly that some people turned to stare, but she couldn't care less. "I'd much rather have an actual conversation about things I'm – gasp – interested in, rather than my partner's biggest successes and failures. Not only is it mind-numbingly _boring, _but it also makes everything so blasted awkward."

James looked at her with a _Eureka! _kind of smile. "You're brilliant," he said fervently.

"You too," she said, grinning right back at him, completely caught up in the excitement of it all.

He looked thoughtfully across at her, but his eyes were sparkling. "Then why on earth are we letting this be an awkward second date?"

Lily's jaw dropped. "I have no bloody clue!"

"Let's stop it, for heaven's sake," he said firmly.

"Couldn't agree more," she said with feeling.

James took a deep breath, looking at her with a hint of trepidation in his eyes. "I know we agreed no stupid questions, but there is something I _have _to know."

"What's that?" Lily asked, hoping she didn't sound too nervous.

He gave her a direct, measuring sort of look. "Well, I'm aware this can really damage our relationship –" Lily tried to pretend the words _our relationship _didn't make her stomach all tingly "– but I have to know if you support Tom Riddle. I, for one, think the guy is a total –"

"Oh my _God, _don't get me started on that asshole," Lily said passionately. "I hate him, I absolutely _hate _him."

James looked relieved. "Well, thank goodness. I really, really didn't want to have to drop you just because of some bigoted Communistic git."

She was about to agree wholeheartedly, but the food arrived, so she settled for giving him her most radiant smile. James really was something else.

* * *

Lily Evans's smile had to be the most beautiful thing James had ever seen. Her whole face lit up as she looked at him, practically glowing with happiness, and her green eyes sparkled across at him in pure delight.

"You're beautiful when you smile," he blurted, then winced.

But Lily didn't look at all offended. "Why, thank you," she said softly, blushing a little and reaching for a knife to cut her duck.

Smiling and blushing made an even better combination, if that was even possible. James found himself staring across the table at her, marvelling at how one human being could be that stunning.

Perhaps the best thing about Lily's beauty was that it was all natural – she wore almost no makeup, and she certainly hadn't had any plastic surgery.

Oh, and he could add "excellent taste in food" to the already lengthy list of Lily's wonderful qualities – the challans duck she had recommended was _delicious. _

"This is good," he told her through a mouthful of duck and pear.

Lily looked amused. "Didn't your mother teach you to not to speak with your mouth full?"

She dropped that word – _mother – _so easily into the conversation that he knew for a fact she didn't mean anything by it. She probably didn't even _know._

"My mother's dead," he said, dropping his gaze. "But, yeah, she did teach us that." He allowed himself a faint smile at the memory of his mum, her beautiful face a mix of exasperation and amusement, chiding him and Sirius for talking with their mouths full of food.

Lily froze with her fork half-way to her mouth, her expression one of absolute horror. "Oh my – James, I'm so sorry, I didn't realise –"

"It's all right," he said gently, because really, it was.

Lily still looked incredibly guilty. "I… Thank you, but that was so thoughtless of me, just saying that… My mouth runs away with me sometimes and I don't think before I say things, especially when there's a handsome guy around… a prince no less… Oh, dear God, what am I saying?"

She covered her face with her hands, but he could see her blush through her fingertips.

"You think I'm handsome?" he asked cheekily, fighting (and failing) to stifle his grin.

Lily dropped her fingers, glaring at him despite her fiery blush. _"That's _all you heard?"

"Not all," he countered. "But that's the important bit. You really mean that? You think I'm handsome?"

"Now you're just fishing for compliments," she grumbled.

"Liiiiily," he teased, drawing out the _i. _"You're not getting out of this so easily – you think I'm handsome, don't you?"

"I think you're a prat," she said, but without any venom.

He looked at her, grinning, and she relented. "Fine! A _handsome _one."

"I knew it!" James punched the air playfully, almost knocking over the bottle of rosé in the process.

Lily snorted, catching the wine bottle just-just before it toppled off the table. "A handsome, _clumsy _prat, it seems," she said dryly.

"Emphasis on handsome!" he said cheerfully.

Lily rolled her eyes and reached for her cutlery again, but the little interlude had worked like a charm. She seemed to have completely forgotten her previous embarrassment.

James was smiling to himself as he started eating again – _handsome, clumsy, _charming _prat, is what it should be, _he thought to himself.

Lily finished her food first and placed her cutlery tidily on her plate, looking up at him with playful green eyes. "So, James…" she began.

"So, Lily…" he mimicked.

"While we're talking about prats, what's the most embarrassing thing you've ever been caught doing?"

It was his turn to bury his head in his hands. "I thought we agreed, no second-date style questions!"

She wagged a finger at him. "You had one question, it's only fair I get one."

"You'd be terrifying in Parliament, you know that?" he asked, hoping to distract her.

He failed. Lily smirked. "I'm sure I would be, but that's not the point. I repeat: what's the most embarrassing thing you've ever been caught doing?"

"Do you _have _to know?" he asked, looking up at her and giving her his best puppy-eyes expression. Sirius was better than him at it, truthfully, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to give it a try.

"If you're willing to try tactics like those, it must be _quite _bad," Lily said, pillowing her head on her hands, smirk widening as she looked up at him. "Now I absolutely _have _to know."

"Don't laugh," he said, waving his fork threateningly at her.

Lily looked angelic – he would have been completely fooled if it wasn't for the mischief dancing in her bright green eyes. "I wouldn't dream of it."

"You're going to laugh, aren't you?" he asked, groaning.

"Absolutely," she answered, grinning.

"Best just get it over with, then," he said, taking a deep breath and drawing on his inner Madam McGonagall.

"Well, it happened like this," he began, and hesitated. Maybe Madam McGonagall wasn't the best person to draw strength from, after all, since _she _had been the one to find him.

He pictured Professor Dumbledore, his long-time tutor, instead – all twinkly-eyed and playful and afraid of absolutely nothing. "Well, I was, oh, ten years old at the time, and my brother Sirius had persuaded me that in order to become a True Prankster, I needed to perform a rite of passage to the Prank Gods."

"Oh, dear," Lily said, already giggling.

"Quite," James said, grinning a little too as he remembered. "I had to go to the Forbidden Forest, as we called it, at midday, and cover myself entirely in mayonnaise. Then I had to run around a clearing five times singing _God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen _as loudly as I possibly could."

Lily shook with laughter. "And then?" she prompted.

"That was the best part," James said. "Sirius told me that after I had completed the singing, I had to sit myself down in the very centre of the clearing, balance the mayonnaise pot on my head and meditate solemnly on the meaning of True Pranking."

"Let me guess, somebody found you doing that?"

"Yep," James said, just the memory of it making him blush furiously. _"And she took photos. _Thought it was far too funny an opportunity to pass."

"Oh, dear heavens," Lily said, practically crying from laughter. "I'd pay to see those."

Suddenly feeling bold and cheeky at the same time, James said, grinning at her the whole time, "I'll take you up on that. I'll pick you up at one o'clock tomorrow, how's that?"

Lily quirked her eyebrows at him. "Let me get this straight. The payment for seeing those photos is… a date?"

"I think it's more than fair," he said innocently, sipping the last of his rosé.

She rolled her eyes, but she was smiling widely. "All right, Your Majesty, it's a deal."

"Really?" he asked, hardly able to believe his luck.

"Really," she agreed, tucking a loose red curl behind one ear and blushing slightly.

"Great!" he said, breaking into a huge grin. "I can't wait."

"Neither can I, those photos must be priceless," Lily said slyly.

"You had to go and bring that up, didn't you?" he asked wryly.

"Oh, absolutely. A deal's a deal, after all," she said, grinning.

"You're sure you're not in Parliament?"

She pulled a face. "Dead sure, thank you _very _much."

"Ah, well," he said, pretending to be disappointed, although in reality he was anything but. In fact, if his grin was any wider, he was pretty sure it would fall right off his face. "But I'll see you at one tomorrow?"

"You will," she said, smiling across at him again, and he was struck all over again by how breathtakingly beautiful she was.

He smiled back, marvelling at how incredibly lucky he was.

* * *

**A/N: well, there we are! I do hope you guys liked it - I'm afraid parts of this gave me terrible writer's block, so I'm not all too sure I like the result. But on the whole, it was plenty of fun to write (when I wasn't staring at the blank screen, that is) and I hope you all had fun while reading it, too.**

**At this point, I'd like to give a quick explanation of how I've envisioned the Royal Family for this story. First things first: James is Prince Harry, obviously, and Lily is Meghan Markle. Also quite obviously, Sirius is Prince William, and Marlene is Kate Middleton. A point of context to clear up with those two is that they only have _one _child, Leo, at this point in the story, where in real life they had two (George and Charlotte.) For all intents and purposes, then, Leo is George, but Charlotte's age. Why did I do this? Purely for purposes of age - everyone is a lot younger in this than in real life. **

**Next, Prince Charles, Princess Diana and Camilla Parker Bowles. Canonically, James's parents are Fleamont and Euphemia, but for the purposes of this fic, I have made him and Sirius the children of Prince Charlus and Princess Dorea. Like Diana, Dorea died in a car accident when James was twelve and Sirius thirteen (slight changes there, again - James and Sirius are just a year apart, as opposed to William and Harry's two.) ALSO, Prince Charlus and Princess Dorea never divorced, but Charlus did remarry, giving us Lady Caroline in this story (she'll be introduced later, don't worry, you haven't missed a thing.) **

**Last but not least, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. For this story, I have made Fleamont and Euphemia James's _grandparents, _instead of his parents, giving us Queen Euphemia and Prince Fleamont. **

**Hopefully that clears up the mess in my head, at least to some extent. Thank you, guys, for your patience with this story and its sporadic updates, as well as my at times nonsensical rambling. I hope I'll see you all soon with the next update! **


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